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Sunday, May 30, 2010

Elizabeth Spann Craig writes the Memphis Barbeque series for Penguin as Riley Adams, the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink (under her own name), and blogs daily athttp://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com, which was named by Writer’s Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers in its current issue.

I have a week and a half until my children’s schools let out for the summer.

This time last year, I was completely horrified at that realization.

This year? Not so much. Because I managed to write the better part of a novel over summer break last year. It had to be done…I was under a deadline. I developed my own routine last summer.

Now I’ve got a routine for every occasion, not just summer break:

My routine when writing at home isn’t working for me and I need to escape:

Yes, sometimes writing at home isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be. That’s because when you’re faced by a dog that sleeps a lot

and cats that hang off the side of small tables while they sleep,

sometimes it can make you feel a little bit sleepy.

Or sometimes the house is too interactive. The dishwasher stops running, the dryer buzzer goes off, a table sassily says “dust me.”

So I go out and write where the background noise is there but means nothing to me.

I’ll write at the library, the coffee shop, or a diner.

If the background noise starts edging into the foreground, then I put headphones on and listen to music I’ve downloaded to my computer while I write.

The I’ve-only-got-15-minutes-to-write-today routine:

I make it count by planning the writing the night before.

What am I going to cover?

Where am I picking up the story?

What’s the point of the scene?

If I know ahead of time that I have a really, really limited timeframe to write in (I’m travelling, it’s a holiday, etc.) then I make every little minute count.

The it’s-a-beautiful-day writing routine

I go to the park after school with the kids. I take a laptop and a folding chair (and, yes, I look nerdy as heck and don’t care a bit.)

I write in the hammock

I use a notebook and pencil if the sun is glinting too much on the computer screen.

And now, for you parents out there, my routine for surviving the kids’ summer vacation (and still get a book written):

Go completely with the flow. There is no routine over summer break…that’s how summer break works! But I do have tips for you:

Go on an outing—the kids and your manuscript. If your kids are older, the park, skating rink, bowling alley, swimming pool, etc, work out well. If they’re younger, try one of those indoor playgrounds with inflatables.

Bring a friend for your child. Or more than one. They’re much happier if they are on outings with a friend or two. And they’re more inclined to let you get some work done.

Plan some dedicated time with your child to play one on one. This time can be either before or after the time that you need to get some work done. Here’s the deal with this time: you need to be completely focused on your child. No thinking about anything else. You play Monopoly, read a few books, whatever they want to do with you---and then you explain you are going to spend X amount of time writing.

Quiet time works for everyone. Even my older child (12) needs time to unwind in the afternoon. My kids unplugged for a while with a book or played quietly in their room while I worked on my laptop. When I had a toddler, I’d put her in her room and give her books. The rule was that even if they couldn’t sleep, they had to “read” (look at pictures.)

Host playdates. I know—this sounds like more trouble than help. But usually (this depends on your kid and the kids you invite over), my children disappear to hang out with their friends. It’s the perfect time to write.

Remember that the more adaptable we are, the more writing we can get done! Best of luck, everyone! And Happy Memorial Day!

Elizabeth - Thanks for these terrific ideas. I agree completely that flexibility is the only way to stay sane. That and a laptop : ). I think my favorite of your ideas is to be prepared to write wherever one happens to be. Creativity can flow at the park, the doctor's office, a coffee shop or an airplane...

Elizabeth, this really made me laugh, especially that cat (who looks just like my old grey tomcat). I love seeing other writers' routines - and sometimes I find that trying a different one, because I have to fit in other things, can be rejuvenating.

I love this advice, Elizabeth! And your approach obviously works. I finished Pretty Is As Pretty Dies last night at one a.m. because I couldn't put it down. I laughed my head off and not just because of the garden gnomes. Can't wait for Delicious and Suspicious. I am also a Corgiphile. Great pix.

I have the best summer vacation routine, because my 14-year-old likes to write, too, and he totally gets what I do. One of us is on the Neo, the other is on the netbook, and both are plugged into our MP3 players--bliss!

This is great advice. What I really appreciate is the line to truly be present when we're with them. That can be hard. But, they notice if you're mind is there, or if you really are focused on them. Thanks! Write on!

Dorte--And then they want to know, "What's wrong, Mom? You're not listening to me!" :)

Janel--"The more the merrier" part of the summer vacay was what was so surprising to me last year. The more children I added into the equation, the easier my day got!

Mary--You are so right. The times I've been distracted, they're disappointed and I might just have well not have spent the time with them. Much better to just set that time aside and focus completely on the children.

Ah, the dreaded summer vacation! You're so right about going with the flow. This weekend I could have stressed out about not writing and missed all the holiday fun, but instead I went to some parties, the pool, and hosted a playdate. And now I feel ready to tackle my manuscript again. Great post, Elizabeth!

IT'S ALL RELATIVE

WOMEN'S SPACES WOMEN'S PLACES

CLOTHES LINES from 75 Western North Carolina Women Writers

CLOTHES LINES from 75 Western North Carolina Women Writers

I'm a lover of words and a lover of images.

The photos you see in the blog posts were mostly shot by me or by husband Donald. Or, they're old family photos - a lovely little benefit of being a part of families who recognized the beauty of preserving our history through photography.

If the photos are not ours, I have tried whenever possible to caption or link the photos to their source. This hasn't always been possible as there are a lot of uncredited images available through the internet.

My sincere thanks to the generosity of so many talented photographers who so graciously share their work for so many of us to enjoy, share and learn from.

IF you see a photo here that is a copyright infringement, please send me an email (barleykw @ appstate dot com) and I'll remove it immediately.

Books Read

Every year I promise myself I'm going to keep a log of books I'm reading. And I immediately forget. Then I remember again, but only after I've already read a few books, but can't be sure I'll remember them all and so - - can't bring myself to start the list. It's sort of like missing the first 30 minutes of a movie. I just can't watch it if I've missed the beginning. And being the anal ol' soul I am, I can't bring myself to start a list if I can't be sure it's going to be a complete one.So.I decided to keep a list during 2010 and found it to be a fun thing. Especially for a compulsive list-maker like myself.

FTC Disclosure Notice

FTC has a regulation which went into effect in December, 2009 which says, basically - "Amateur Bloggers to Disclose Freebies or Be Fined." Significantly fined. So. Since I happen to be an amateur blogger who sometimes receives free books, here's my required FTC Disclosure Notice: Dear FTC - Regarding review copies of books obtained for this blog. No other compensation is accepted beyond review copies of books - ever. When I do write a review, or opinion, the source of the book cited will be disclosed in the post in which the review/opinon appears. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.